Fabric conditioner



July 2, 1935- c. T. GRIFFITH ET Al. 2,006,501

FABRIC CONDITIONER Filed Dec. 9, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 2, 1935- c. T. GRIFFITH ET A1. 2,006,501

FABRIC CONDITIONER Filed Dec. 9, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 2, 1935.

C. T. GRIFFITH ET AL FABRIC CONDITIONER Filed Deo. 9) 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FI/fazzamaler ylgzneys July 2, 1935 c. T. GRIFFITH ET Al. 2,006,501

FABRIC CONDITIONER Filed Deo. 9, 1955 '4 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 llO Patented July 2, 1935 FABRIC coNDITIoNER Charles T. Griffith and Harry F. V-Yanamaker,A

Philadelphia, Pa.,

assignors to Proctor &

Schwartz, Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of lPennsylvania.

Application December 9, 1933, Serial No. 701,694

9 claims. (o1. y216i6 rlhis invention relates to a method and. to an apparatus for moistening fabrics, and more particularly for moistening hosiery which has been placed on a form or board preparatory vto drying.

The present invention is especially adapted for use in connection with Aautomatic hosiery driers of the type disclosed in the prior United States patent to Harry Coulston and Walter M. Schwartz, No. 1,126,619 dated January 26, 1915.

It is generally accepted in the art of hosiery finishing that a much better and more desirable finish is attained when the stockings, especially those composed wholly or in part of silk, natural or synthetic, are uniformly moistened immediately preceding drying than can be had when the stockings are not so preconditioned.

, Many attempts have been made in the past to find a method and to provide an apparatus by which uniform preconditioning could be successfully and economically accomplished. These attempts may be classified in two groups, i. e. first, ruiming moist-surfaced rollers over the fabric; and second, spraying a conditioning medium, such as steam andwater, or either alone, in the vicinity of the stocking, usually within a suitable chamber.

The moist roll method is unreliable due to the inability to maintain the fabric-engaging surface of the rolly or rolls uniformly moistened, hence the stockings are not uniformly moistened and when dry show variations in the finish between those parte which have` not received equal moistening.

The spraying method likewise is unreliable because of the inability to prevent drops of the moistening medium from being projected against the stocking fabric and causing spotting thereof.

Another disadvantage attending the use of systems in the past has been the clogging of the extremely fine holes, necessitated in the spray nozzles for. atomizing the conditioning fluid, by small particle of foreign matter suspended in the fluid.

The spraynozzles heretofore have, to a greater degree, discharged the fluid directly against the fabric, in a direction either perpendicular or at some other various angle or angles relative to the piane of the fabric, and in some instances through a lne mesh screen or similar element interposed between the mouth of the nozzle and the fabric, to break up the fluid into the finest possible particles.

However, in all of such instances it has been impossible to prevent spotting, as the particles tend to collect on the ends or surfaces of the nozzles or intervening screens and then to be suddenly carried away by the flow of fluid from the nozzle and projected against the fabric, causing spotting. 1

Anotherobjection to the spraying system, vespe-- cially when steam is used, is that the steam being sprayed against or in close proximity to the fabric causes a bleeding of the dye from some portions and a concentration thereof at other portions of the fabric, thus the color of the nished lfabric is not uniform. l z e In other instances, such as disclosed in the prior United States patent to Walter M. Schwartz and Frederick J. Kienel, No. 1,576,333 dated March 9, 1926, it has been attempted to create a moisture-laden region through which the stockings are passed, but this system also employs av spray that projects steam vvertically into a chamber adapted to receive the stockings.- l This system while it reduced it did not entirely elim'- inate spotting-and bleeding and has a further in-r herent disadvantage in that the portions of the stocking in the upper part of the chamberbecome excessively moistened while the portions of the stocking in the lower part of the chamber are insufficiently moistened, causing shading in the stocking.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above noted difficulties encounteredin the moisteners of the prior art, and to provide a new method and a new apparatus by lwhich uniform moistening ofthe hosiery'is effectivelyand economically accomplished.

Primarily, the present invention consists in` providing, placing, or relatively moving a. moistening head, comprising an open-fronted boxlike structure, substantially parallel to the surface of the fabric to be moistened, with the `open front of the head structure adjacent the plane of the fabric surface, interposing a perforated fluid conductorrin the head between theA face of the fabric and a rear wall or baiile vsurface of or in the head structure, and `placing-.the perforations of the fluid `.conductor in that side thereof which faces toward therear baffle surface within the head structure, whereby fluidgescaping from the perforations, under pressure, is projected against and impinges., upon the rear wall of the moistening head, or some other suitable baffle surface in the path of movement of the projected fluid as noted above, by which the Yfluid is broken up andA atomized, causing the'rluidto hang in atmospheric suspension within the con.- ditioning head to float or move, as a result of continuous impingng of the conditioning fluid against, the baiiie surface'in the head,itowardthe open front of the head and into contact with the adjacently disposed surface oi the fabric undergoing treatment.

By directing the fluid in a direction away from the open front of the head and consequently away from the fabric adjacent said open front, all tendency toward spotting is obviated, by reason of the carrying or" any accumulation of moisture particles which may occur on the fluid conduit around the perforations thereof, away from the fabric and toward the rear of the head and kagainst the above noted barile surface by which such particles are broken up and by which, if such particles should fail to be breken up to an extent to permit of their free atmospheric suspension, such relatively large heavy particles conducted to the base of the head and exhausted therefrom in a suitable manner.

By directing the conditioning medium, such as steam, or steam and water, away from the fabric all tendencyvtoward bleeding is eliminated; and byconcentrating the discharge of conditioning medium at and near the bottom of the moistener uniform moistening is obtained.

The construction and operation of the device by which `the improved method of moistening fabrics is accomplished will be fully disclosed hereinaften'- reference being had to the accompanying drawings; of which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a simple `relatively small form of hand or mcchanically` operated structure adapted for movem ment in a plane approximately parallel to that ofthe surface to be conditioned;

'-Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation-showing a pair of elongated heads adapted to be rigidly mounted at opposite sides of a path traversed by the hosiery forms prior to the en trance of the forms and stockings carried thereb'y` into a suitable drying chamber;

' Fig. 3 isa sectional plan taken on the line 3'-3, Fig.v 2;

"Fig, 4 is a greatly enlarged cross sectional view of the fluid conduit, showing the relation between the thicknessl 01"' the wall and the diameter of the openings in the conduit by which clogging of the perforations is obviated;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the moistening head with a baille interposed between 7 the uid conduit and the rear wall of the head;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing a flat baffie surfacepresented to the fluid by the rear wall of the head;

Fig. 7 illustrates the double head of Fig. l as being tilted and mounted on the front rail of an automatic drier of the type disclosed in each 0; the above noted patents;

Fig. -8 is a plan view showing the double head of Figf? in section;

9 is a'view similar to Fig. 8, lbut showing the'nioistener mounted on the side rail of the drier in a true vertical position; and

Fig. 10 is a modification of the 'drip discharging `means of one of the moistening heads shown in Fig. 2.

Thef'co'nditioning head structure, illustrated at 'I'- in Fig. l, is preferably of hollow conicaljparabolical,` -or pyramidal form having its apex 2 curved, as in Fig. l, or cut off flat and parallel to `theplane -m of the open front 3 of the structure, as fshown at 2a, Fig. 6. In either case the 'side walls 4, 4 converge from the marginal edges of the :open front Steward the rear surface 2 or 2'dfasthe` case may be. n

A Secured to one of the side walls 4, in the structure shown in Fig. l, and projecting into the hollow interior oi' the head I, substantially parallel to the open front 3, between the open front 3 and the rear wall 2, is a :duid conduit 5, in the rear side of which, i. e. the side facing toward the rear wall 2, is a relatively large opening or perforation 6. l

It is preferable to form the conduit 5 of commercial copper tubing which, for example, in the quarter inch diameter sise, has an extremely thin wall l', as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The perforation 6 is preferably of a relative large size, i. e. several times as great in diameter as the thickness oi' thevwail l, hence no channel, having a length as great as or greater than the diameter or the hole 6, formed, consequently clogging of the hole by particles of ioreign matter suspended in the fluid passing through the pipe 5 and opening 5 is effectively obviated.

shown in Fig. l, the conditioning fluid, preferably steam and water, escaping from the opening under suitable pressure, is directed against and impinges upon theinner surface 8 of the rear wall 2, which functions as a baille and breaks up or atomizes the fluid globules into fine particles capable of remaining in atmospheric suspension within the head I. K

Continuous discharge of fluid from the opening driving against the baille surface 3, causes the suspended fluid particles to cat toward the open front 3 of the head i into contact with the adjacently dispose surface of the fabric F, which is to be conditioned thereby. The relative nai-ing of the side walls li, l! permits of such great expansion ofthe fluid that the floating effect is effectively accomplished and forward driving of the fluid is avoided.

Any' heavyparticles or accumulation of particles Aforming on the pipe 5 around the opening 5 will either be carried away from the opening, and away from the lfabric, by the ow of iluid therethrough to be broken up against the baille 'surface E, or such accumulation will run down the pipe 5 and along the lower side wall 4 to be caught in a drip trough S provided by a vertical flange it formed on the forward edge of the lower side wall li and extending completely across the open iront 3 ci the head i. The accumulation in the drip trough E is carried oi'l" from the head I by a suitable conduit Il.

The head l may be connected to and carried and operated by any suitable mechanism adapted to move the head I relative to the fabric or the head may be held stationary while the fabric is moved relative thereto in'a plane adjacent and approximately parallel to the plane x--x of the open front 3 of the head.

' Fig. i shows the head I as being provided with a handle I2 secured to the head and aflording a support for the pipes and i l respectively, said handle including a valve I3 for manual operation when the head is in use and arranged to shut off the flow of fluid from the opening 6 in the pipe 5 when the head is not in use. In cases where the head is mechanically operated relative to the surface of the fabric F the valve i3 or its equivalent may be automatically operated to control the flow of fluid to the opening E.

In 2, 7. 8 and 9, two conditioning heads lili. IQI 'are shown as being rigidly mounted in opposed relation to each other at opposite sides respectively of the path of movement of a series of. substantially vertically arranged stocking forms 2e, in the case of Figs. 'I and 8 on the front rail ai of an automatic hosiery drier of the type disclosed in the above noted patents, and, inthe to the lower drip troughs |09, |09, wherein the v drier are usually provided with grippers 25, 125l (see Fig. '7) which arepivoted to the stems 20 of the forms at opposite sides thereof respectively, as indicated at 21, 2l, to be swung into gripping contact with the top or welt portion of the stocking F on the form, to hold the top or welt down firmly during the drying of the stocking, such grippers being clearly disclosed in the prior United 'States patent to Harry Cculston, No. 1,190,119, dated July 4, 1916.

During the preconditioning or moistening of the stocking the grippers 25, 25 are open, as shown in Fig. 7, and the lower end wallsl |00, of the heads I0|, 10| respectively are disposed at angles corresponding to the angles ofthe open grippers, to permit the open grippers to pass outside the heads |01, v10| as the form 20 associated with the grippers `passes through the slot 23 between' the heads 10|, |01.

In the heads |01, |0| the iiuid pipes |05 are elongated and extend from the bottom walls |00,

|00 to and beyond the top end of the slot 23 and direct iluidfrom their openings |00, |00, against the innerbafllesurfaces |03, |00 of the rear walls |02, |02 of the heads. The pipes |05, |05, to the greater extent of their lengths, extend parallelv to the open fronts |03, |03 of the heads 10|, 10| and at their lower ends bend toward and terminate adjacent the fronts 03.

Parallel to the fronts |03, and lying in drip troughs |09, |09 formed by the front anges H0, I|0 and the bottom walls |00, |00 are open ended drip exhaust pipes which are provided with vertical portions |12, I2. The vertical pipes ||2 arebent at their upper ends |13, H3, to discharge Ainto horizontally disposed intermediate drip troughs I4, |14 which catch the drip or condensation which trickles down the insides of the flaring side walls |04, |04.

The drip concentrated in the troughs I I4, 14 is discharged from the heads 101,'10l by drain pipes H5, |I to a level below the lower edge of the fabric F.

The pipes |05, |05 are connected at their upper ends to a feed pipe or manifold I l0 by which the two pipes are fed with fluid under pressure and under control of a valve 1 T from a pipe I8 which is connected to a suitable source (not shown) The perforations |00, |00 are equally spaced throughout the greater'portionof the length of each pipe and toward the lower ends of the pipes the holes |00 are relatively closer together than at the upper'portion of the pipe, to keep the lower portions of the heads |01, filled with the floating atmospherically suspended conditioning'medium which has a natural tendency to rise in the heads. f

Connected to the fluid supply pipe I 10 is a pipe lH9, iiow from which is controlled by a valve |20. Connected to the second side of the valve is a pair of small pipes'l2l, |21, which project into the heads I0 10| respectively and therein pass downwardly, between the pipesy 105,105 and the opposite faces of the fabric VFA respectively,

ends of the pipes 12|, 12| project into the open ends of the drip exhaust pipes |11, 1 1 and` function as injectors to draw the drip from the troughs |00 into the pipes and then raise the drip in the pipes |12 -to eifectdischargethereof into the upper drip troughs IM. f l

In Fig. l0 the injector pipe |2|a are connected directly to the lower ends of the iiuid pipes |05, but the previouslydescribed arrangement is preferable as the discharge of the drip from the troughs |00 by ow'of fluid through the injector pipes |21 may be independently controlled with respect to the flow of fluid through the fluid pipes |05, by manipulation of the valves 1|'I and |20.

The upper portions of the heads |01, |0| and the slot 23 are covered by a hood |25 which bridges the upper end of `the slot 23, the fluid being carried off by a conduit or exhaust pipe |26 which may be connectedto any suitable exhaust fan, etc. A damper |21 may be provided to control the rate of exhaust of the floating fluid from the heads |01. v

The operation of the devices of Figs. 2, 7, 8 and 9fis substantially the same asthe operation of the device shown in Fig. l. The fluid passing through the pipes 105,105 is directed by the rearwardly vpointing openings |06, |00 against the baffle surfaces l, |08 and expands by reason of ythe fiarn ing relation of the side walls |011, |04 so that the fluid particles iioat toward the fronts |03, |03 of the heads |01, 10| and Contact the stocking fabric F on opposite sides of the forms 20 simultaneously, the accumulation of condensed steam or water collected in and by the` drip troughs |09, |09 and |14, 114 being discharged from the heads and thereby being prevented from spotting the hosiery. f f.

Fig. 5 shows a hat baffle plate |13 disposed within the head in spaced relation to the backwall 2 and while the surface of this baffle against which the fluid discharged from the pipe 5` impinges is shown as being fiat it may be either concaved or convexed as desired for spreading or concentrating the fluid in the back'part of the head during expansion and before iioating toward the open front 3 of the head. f

The fluid discharge openings-|00 in the lower portions of the pipes |05, as notedv above; may

be closer to each other than'those in the 'upper f `portions of the pipes and are preferablydrilled at an angle so that they direct their discharges toward the bottoms of the heads 10|, to concentrate the uid in the bottoms of the heads to vchambers and causing said suspended medium to float in opposite directions toward the slot into contact with the fabric therein, and a hood bridging the upperend of the slot for collecting suspended medium rising from the chambers at opposite sides of the fabric.

2. A fabric-moistening device rcomprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, side walls converging from the side. margins of the opening toward an apex remoteA to the opening,

a bottom wall inclined from the lower margin` of said opening inwardly of the chamber, a,` fluid pipe extending vertically intermediate the plane of the opening and the apex and having a series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the apex at a plurality of vertically spaced planesrespectively, Va, baffle surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the suspended fluid to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, yand a drip trough formed at said bottom margin of the openingby said inclined bottom wall for collecting non-suspended fluid.

3. A fabric-moistening device comprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, side Walls converging from the side margins of the opening toward an, apex remote to the opening, a bottom wall inclined from the lower margin of said opening inwardly of the chamber, a fluid pipe extending vertically intermediate the plane of the opening and the apex and having a series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the apex at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, a bailleV surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the suspended uid to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, a drip trough formed at said bottom margin of the opening by said inclined bottom Wall for collecting non-suspended fluid, a discharge pipe having an opening disposed in said drip trough, and a. pipe injecting live fluid into said discharge opening for drawing the nonsuspended fluid into said discharge pipe.

4. A fabrc-moistening device comprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, side walls converging from the side margins of the openingtoward an apex remote to the opening, a bottom wall inclined from the lower margin of said opening inwardly of the chamber, a fluid pipe extending vertically intermediate the plane of the opening and the apex and having a series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the apex at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, a. baille surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the suspended fluid to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, a drip trough formed at said bottoni margin of the opening by said inclined bottom wall for collecting non-suspended fluid, a drip trough on. the converging side walls above the rst said drip trough, a discharge pipe having an opening disposed in said lower drip trough, a pipe injecting live fluid into said discharge opening for drawing the non-suspended fluid into said discharge pipe and for passing the drip fluid through the discharge pipe into said upper trough, and means for exhausting said drip fluid from said upper trough.

5. A fabric-moistening device comprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, ver

tical side walls and a bottom wall constituting margins of said opening, a fluid pipe extending vertically within the chamber adjacent the plane of the opening and having a` series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the rear of the chamber at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, a baille surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the suspended fluid` to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, a drip trough in the bottom of the chamber for collecting nonsuspended fluid, a discharge pipe having an opening disposed in said drip trough, and ay pipe injecting live fluid into said discharge pipe `opening for drawing the non-suspended uid into said discharge pipe.

6. A fabric-moistening device comprising va chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, vertical side Walls and a bottom Wall constituting marginsof said openings fluid pipe extending vertically within lthe chamber adjacent the plane of the opening and having a series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the rear of the chamber at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, a baffle surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of. the fluid and causing the suspended fluid to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, a. drip trough in the bottom of the chamber and an upper drip trough spaced above said bottom drip trough for collecting non-suspended fluid, a discharge pipe having an vopening disposed in the said bottom drip trough and an outlet in said upper trough, and a pipe injecting live fluid into` said discharge pipe opening for drawing the non-suspended `fluid from the bottom trough into said discharge `pipe and discharging said fluid into the upper trough, and means for exhausting said fluid from said upper trough.

7. A fabric-moistening device comprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face `opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, vertical side walls and a bottom wall constituting margins of said opening, a fluid pipe extending vertically within the chamber adjacent the plane of the opening and having a series'of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the rear of the chamber at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, a baille surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the suspended fluid to float toward the opening and into contact with the fabric, a drip trough in the bottom of the chamber for collecting non-suspended fluid, a discharge pipe having an opening disposed in said drip trough, a pipe injecting live fluid into said discharge pipeopening for drawing the non-suspended fluid into said discharge pipe, and means for independently controlling the flow of fluid through said fluid pipes.

8. A fabric-moistening device comprising a chamber having a vertically elongated face opening adjacent which the fabric is positioned, vertical side walls and a bottom wall constituting margins of said opening, a fluid pipe extending vertically within the chamber adjacent the plane of the opening and having a series of vertically spaced openings for projecting fluid toward the rear of the chamber at a plurality of vertically spaced planes respectively, abaille surface intercepting the projected fluid and effecting atmospheric suspension of the fluid and causing the dependently controlling the iioW of iiuid through said fluid pipes.

9. A hosiery-moistenng device comprising a pair of laterally spaced and opposed open sided chambers providing a slot therebetween for receiving a stocking mounted on a form, means in said chambers for atmospherically suspending and Heating a moistening medium in opposite directions in said chambers respectively 4toward said slot and into Contact with the stocking therein, said chambers having inclined bottoms respectively paralleling open angularly disposed stocking grippers carried by the stocking form and normally closed to grip the stocking, permitting said open grppers to pass outside said chambers during moistening of the stocking.

\ CHARLES T. GRIFFITH.

HARRY F. WANAMAKER. 

